Object Permanence
The understanding that objects exist even when they are not directly observed.Objective Techniques
A generic term for the psychological procedures used to measure personality which rely on measurable or objective techniques such as the MMPI-2 and WAIS-III.
Obsession
A persistent and seemingly uncontrollable thought.
Occipital Lobe
One of for lobes of the brain. Contains the visual cortex and therefore plays a major role in the interpretation of visual information.
Odd-Even Reliability
The correlation coefficient determined by comparing odd items of the measurement to the even items. One method to determine the internal consistency of a test or measuring device.
Olfaction
The sense of smell.
One-Way ANOVA
An Analysis of Variance used when there is only one main effect.
Operant Conditioning
Learning that occurs due to the manipulation of the possible consequences.
Optimal Level of Arousal
Theory arguing that humans are driven to increase or decrease arousal to produce a comfortable level that is not over- nor under stimulating.
Oral Aggressive Personality
Stemming from the Oral stage, a child who becomes fixated due to over stimulation transfers his or her unresolved oral issues into aggression and hostility.
Oral Receptive Personality
Stemming from the Oral stage, a child who becomes fixated due to under stimulation transfers his or her unmet oral needs into smoking, drinking, talking, biting fingernails, or sucking one’s own thumb, for example.
Oral Stage
Freud’s first stage of psychosexual development where the primary sexual focus is on the mouth through sucking, tasting, and verbalizing.
Order Effects
The effects of administering treatments in a particular order
Ordered Array
A table consisting of data in order of highest to lowest or lowest to highest where each data is given a numbered rank depicting it’s difference from the highest or lowest score
Ordinal Scale
Any scale that reflects only magnitude but does not contain equal intervals or an absolute zero
Overlearning
A technique used to improve memory where information is learned to the point that it can be repeated without mistake more than one time.
Source: Allpsych Online